Adjustable stilt



July 31, 1928. 1,679,168

' J. F. O BRIEN ADJUSIABLE -STILT Filed Feb. 15, 1926' Patented July 31, 1928 JAMES I. OBRIEN, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

ADJUSTABLE- srnxr.

Application filed February 115 1926. Serial No. 88,200.

This invention relates more particularly to novel improvements in adjustable steps for stilts and aims primarily to provide a nonslipping adjustable step for a stilt that is readily and quicklyappl-ied or removed from the correlated stilt pole or standard, that may be closely and accurately adjusted 1on gitudinally thereon in a rapid and'expeditious manner to vary the height of such step from the ground for different users, that is restrainingly engaged in a selected or adj usted position upon said pole againstlongitudinal or lateral dislodgment thereon or therefrom in a novel manner to prevent and obviate injury to or marring of the pole, and that will not become distorted when subjected to excessive downward pressure and is so constructed that such pressure will tend to more positively secure the ste-p upon the ole. i p With these and other ends in view the invention essentially "consists in the provision of an adjustable stilt embodying a pole or standard, preferably ofwood and of rectangular cross-section; a serrated or notched metallic bar rigidly secured to the lower portion of the outer side of the pole; anad justable step, preferably fabricated or stamped as an integral structure from sheet metal or other suitable material, having the edges thereof doubled upon themselves :to reinforce andstiffen the step thereat and having'aurectangular opening atone end to receive and accommodate the correlated pole,

the material of the step being angularly bentdownwardly and inwardly adjacent the said opening to form'an: arcuate foot engaging portion terminating in a pole engaging .ser-

rated heel formed by angularly bending the 1 material upwardly and outward-lythereat .to provide a tread portion having an arcuate terminal to prevent dislodgment of the foot therefrom.

The invention further consists in the novel construction, combination, adaptation, and arrangement of parts, as will hereinafter be more fully described and succinctly defined in the claims appended hereto.

' Referring now to-the accompanying drawing, wherein isyillustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view-of theouter side of an adjustable'stiltfabricated in accordance with the invention. 7

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary of the opposite side thereof.

series of step engageable serrations or perspective view Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken zgln 77 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional side ele V i vation of a slightly modified form of adjustable stilt.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective of a modified form of adjustable step, and

' Fig. 10 is a. fragmentary sectional side elevation of the same. 7

In the drawing similar. reference characters designate similar partsthroughout the several views.)

Thenumeral 11 designates a. pole .orstandard of a stilt, preferably fabricated from wood .and of rectangular cross-section, having a fiat metallic bar or strip 12 rigidly secured by screws 13 upon the lower portion of the outer side thereof, saidbar having a notches 14 cut in the exterior surface thereof, as shown moreclearly in Figs. 1 and 3.

An adjustable step 15 formed with a large rectangular opening 16 at one end thereof, one edge of which is provided with a series of serrations or notches 17 selectively envgageable with the metallic bar serrationsll,

when the step 15 is operatively positioned uponthe pole 11. g

While the step 15 may be otherwise formed, the same is preferably stamped from sheet-metal and has the side edgesthereof bent or doubled upon themselves, as indi cated at 18, tothereby reinforce the material thereat and to effectually prevent distortion of the step when in use. The material of the step is flexed or bent downwardly and inwardly, as at 19, adjacent the inner end of the opening'16 to form an arcuate foot engaging portion20,qwhich terminates in a heel 2l-formed by bending the material upwardly and outwardly at said heel to provide a sub ing an upwardly curving terminal portion 23, which latter serves and functions to prest-antially horizontal tread portion 22 havsaid step abutting the side faces of the said pole thereat, as shown more clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, whereby rocking or twisting action of such step by the user is positively prevented.

If desired the lower end of the pole 11 may be provided with a pad or cushion 25 of resilient material, such as rubber or the like, which pad may be secured thereto in any well known manner, to thereby minimize shock or jarring during use of the stilt and to'provide greater adhesive friction for the lower end of the stilt to effectually prevent skidding of thesame.

The principal functions and the particular advantages accruing from the use and employment of the flat serrated bar 12 is to preserve the outer side of the pole 11 intact and prevent marring or injuring of the same by the step serrations 17, when the correlated step 15 thereof is operatively positioned upon the said pole; to obtain very close and accurate longitudinal adjustment of the step 15 upon the pole 11 for convenientlyvarying the height of the step from the ground to accommodatethe stilt for any user; and to positively and restrainingly engage the step 15 in selective longitudinally adjusted positions upon the pole '11, whereby such step is rendered safe in use and slipping of the same thereon or therefrom is effectually prevented.

' In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a slightly modified form of adjustable stilt embodying a pole 26 having a longitudinally adjustable step 27 operatively positioned thereon and fabricated in a manner similar to that described for the step 15 having a series of serrations 28 which directly engage the pole 26,

as shown.

In Figs. 9 and 10, I have illustrated a still further modified form of adjustable stilt, wherein the numeral 29 designates a pole having an adjustable step 30 fabricated from wire operatively positioned thereon.

The wire material of the step 80 is bent or flexed midway of the length thereof toform a rectangular loop 31, the inner side of the outer end of which is formed or provided with a knife or biting edge 32 to engage and lightly bite into the outer side of the pole 29 to thereby support and maintain the step 30 thereon without materially marring or injuring the pole. The loop 81 is completed at the inner end by twisting the material hereof upon itself and flexing or bending the same downwardly and inwardly, as at 33,

to form an arcuate foot engaging portion From the foregoing it will be manifest and apparent that the adjustable step for the stilt herein shown and describedembodies simplicity, durability and economy in construction, will not slip upon the correiated pole thereof and is therefore safe, reliable, efficient and positive in use and action, combines considerable strength with lightnessof weight, and in the present preferred form may be manufactured at an extremely low cost.

To adjust the step upon the correlated pole the upwardly curved end thereof is slightly elevated to release the same from the plate 12, oripoles or 28, whereupon the step is elevated or lowered to the desired height, whereat such curved end is lowered to seat or engage the step upon the said plate or pole lii'tl'lG position selected. By referring to the drawings, it will be obvious that downward pressure exerted upon the tread of the s ep will tend to secure such'step more positively upon the correlated polethereof and prevent longitudinal displacement of the same thereon. v

VJhile 1 have herein shown and described my invention with sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to understand the mode of construction and the principles involved it is to be understood that there is no intentional limitation herein to the specific form and precise details of construction of the invention herein shown and described except as cxpresslyideiined by the appended claims, and that various modifications of said construction may be resorted to without departing from the, invention, or the benefits derivable therefrom; I also desire to have it understood that certain features of the invention herein disclosed may be employed in other combinations than those herein shown.

. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A step for an adjustable stilt stamped from a single piece of sheet metal and having an aperture formed therein adjacent one end thereof, to accommodate a pole and the like, one edge of said aperture having a series of pole engaging serrations, the material of the step being angularly and downwardly bent adjacent said aperture to form an arcuate foot engaging portion and the angularly bent portion return-bent to form a pole abutting heel thereat and a tread poradjacent one end thereof to accommodate a tion for said step extending outwardly therepole and the like, the material of the step 10 from, said pole abutting heel having a series being angularly bent at said aperture and of pole engaging serrations formed therein. return-bent to form a pole abutting tread 5 2. A step for an adjustable stilt fabricated portion for the step. 7

from a single piece of sheet metal having In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. the edges thereof doubled upon themselves, said step having an aperture formed therein JAMES F. OBRIEN. 

